The invention pertains to an improved method of construction for lockable removable cassettes or cash boxes used for the protection of banknotes in automated handling equipment such as gaming machines, vending machines, automated teller machines and the like.
Current cash box products suffer from several deficiencies, including not being sufficiently rugged for general handling, and being of high cost. Further, it is not possible to distinguish a full cash box from an empty one without opening a currency access door with a key, conventional cash boxes require operation of a latch before removal is possible, and such cash boxes do not give a positive or easily recognizable indication that the cash box has not been properly seated in the host machine.
The present invention pertains to a lockable, removable cassette which includes improvements described herein that address all of the above defects.
An improved mechanism for stacking bills is also described. The improvements include a means to achieve a large stroke in a compact geometry and a means to adjust the available force on the pusher plate mechanism as a function of the pusher extension. Optimum compactness and efficiency can thereby be achieved.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.